Venting devices



T. A. MILLER VENTING DEVICES Feb. 9, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 12, 1963 INVENTOR- THOMAS A. MILLER.

ATTDHNEY:

United States Patent Office 3,158,861 Patented Feb. 9, 1965 3,168,861 VENTING DEVICES Thomas A. Miller, 3425 Quadra St., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Filed Mar. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 264,563 8 Claims. (Cl. 9876) This invention relates to devices for venting chimneys, buildings and the like.

The venting devices of this invention are primarily for use on chimneys to improve the draft thereof and to protect them against down winds. These devices use down and cross winds to improve the updraft of the chimneys. They may also be used for venting buildings, and the devices utilize down winds and cross winds to help draw air out of the buildings.

A venting device according to the present invention includes means for maintaining a substantially constant updraft in a chimney or a substantially constant withdrawal of air from a building regardless of whether the cross winds and/ or down winds are strong or weak. Devices of the prior art which utilize cross winds to help the updraft in a chimney have the disadvantage that the greater the cross wind, the greater the suction in the chimney. Therefore, when there are high winds, the suction is so great that the operation of the heating plant connected to the chimney is upset. Either the fire burns too rapidly, or the fuel-air ratio is changed, in either case, the result is a waste of fuel.

Basically, a vent device according to the present invention comprises a vertical casing, a horizontal passage extending across the casing at the lower end thereof and in communication with said casing, said horizontal passage being open at both ends'thereof, said casing having an opening in a side wall thereof above the horizontal passage, and a pipe having an open lower end and an upper end opening into said casing opening.

Examples of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form of vent device,

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1,-

FIGURE 3 is a cross section taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a perspectiveview of an alternative form of vent device,

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4, and

FIGURE 6 is a cross section taken on the lined-6 of FIGURE 4.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 3 of the drawings, 10. is a vent device including a vertical casing or pipe 11 having an open top 12. A horizontal pipe or tubular casing 15 extends across and is connected to the lower end of pipe 11, said pipe 15 being open at its opposite ends 17 and 18, and forming a horizontal passage 19 which communicates with the interior of pipe 11 at 21 at the lower end of said pipe. Pipe 11 has an opening 25 formed in a side wall thereof above horizontal passage 19, and a pipe 27 has an upper end 28 secured to pipe 11 over opening 25. Pipe 27 has a vertical section 30 from which an inclined section 31 extends up to pipe 11. The lower end of vertical pipe section 30 is open and connected to the outlet of a chimney or of a building ventilating system, not shown.

A deflector 35 is mounted in horizontal passage 19 of pipe 15 and is adapted to direct some of the air travelling in either direction through said passage upwardly in pipe 11 past the opening 25 thereof. In this example, deflector 35 comprises a bal'lle plate in the form of an inverted V with inclined surfaces 37 and 38 extending downwardly and outwardly towards the open ends 17 and 18 of pipe 15. The apex 39 of the V is located beneath pipe opening 25. It is preferable to make deflector 35 of such size that it extends across substantially the lower half of horizontal passage 19. In other words, it extends across the lower portion of the horizontal passage which is indicated by numeral 41 in FIGURE 2, leaving the upper portion, indicated by numeral 42, of the passage clear.

A downwardly inclined bafile 45 is mounted on the inner surface of pipe 11 immediately above opening 25 therein.

When vent device 10 is mounted on a chimney, not shown, the flue gases travel upwardly through sections 30 and 31 of pipe 27. The inclined section 31, although diverting the gases laterally, keeps them moving in a generally upward direction to and into vertical pipe 11, and they pass out through the top 12 of sid vertical pipe. In other words, the gases travel in a generally upward direction at all times. If there are any down winds, the upper end of pipe 27 is protected against them by vertical pipe 11. Baffle 45 directs the down wind away from opening 25 as the air moves downwardly through pipe 11. Deflector 35 helps the air to turn quickly to travel laterally along horizontal passage 19. This down wind tends to create a low pressure area at opening 25 to help draw the flue gases upwardly. Horizontal pipe 15 pre vents said gases from being directed by the down wind on to the roof of the building over which the device is mounted.

An important feature of this device is that when horizontal or substantially horizontal winds travel through passage 19, some of the air is directed upwardly by batlle 35 through vertical pipe 11. This movement of air past opening 25 tends to create a low pressure area at said opening and thereby assist with the movement of gases upwardly through pipe 27. Air travelling through the upper half 42 of passage 19 tends to move straight through pipe 15, while air moving along the lower half 41 of the passage is directed upwardly by baflle 35. This upwardlly-directed air has to travel through the air which tends to move horizontally straight through passage 1.9 in the upper half42 thereof. This creates a resistance to the upwardly-directed air. Thus, if the cross wind is strong, the resistance to the upward movement of air through pipe 11 also is strong, and if the cross wind is weak, the resistance to the upward movement of the air is relatively weak. As a result of this, the suction created at the outlet 25 of pipe 27 remains fairly constant regardless of the strength of the cross winds. This allows the fire in'the heating device connected to the chimney to burn at a constant rate, and it does not upset the air-fuel ratio in heating plants burning gas or oil.

FIGURES 4 and 5 illustrate an alternative vent device 50, which operates on the same principle as device 10.

Vent device 59 includes a vertical pipe 52 open at its lower end 53 and closed at its upper end by a cover 54. This casing has openings 56 and 57 in each of opposite walls 59 and 60 near its upper end. Casings 62 and 63 are mounted on walls 59 and 60, respectively, these casings having openings 65 and 66 in communication with openings 56 and 57 of pipe 52.

Casing 62 is open at its top 69 and has end walls 70 and 71 with opposed openings 72 and 73 therein near casing bottom 74. The upper section of casing 62 forms a vertical passage 75, and the lower section of said casing forms a horizontal passage 76 opening out through openings 72 and 73, said horizontal passage being located beneath openings 56-65. A deflector 78 extends across the lower half of passage 76 substantially midway between the ends thereof and beneath the openings 56-65. 35 described above.

This deflector is shaped the same as deflector Similarly, casing 63 is open at its upper end 80, and the upper section of this casing forms a vertical passage 81 and the lower section thereof forms a horizontal pas- Sage 82 terminating in openings 83 and 84 near the casing bottom. A deflector 86 extends across the lower half of passage 82 beneath openings 57-66.

it will be noted that cover 54- has downwardly-inclined sections 88 and 89 which extend into casings 62 and 63, respectively, to form balfles 91 and 2 in said casings over their respective openings 56-65 and 57-66. A

V-shaped deflector 95 hangs down in pipe 52 from cover 54. Deflector 95 includes inclined sections 97 and 98 overlapping and facing openings56-65 and 57-66, respectively.

When vent device 50 is in operation, the lower end of pipe 52 is connected to a chimney or the outlet of a ventilating system of a building. Upwardly moving gases travel generally upwardly through pipe 52, openings 56-65 and 57-66 and casings 62 and 63. Deflector 55 keeps the gases moving generally upwardly while directing them laterally through said openings. Baffles 91 and 92 keep down winds away from the openings in casings62 and 63, while deflectors 78 and 86 direct the down winds laterally through horizontal passages 76 and 82. Portions of cross winds travelling through these horizontal passages are deflected upwardly in the respective casings 62 and 63 through the openings thereof to create low pressure areas which assist in the movement of gases upwardly in pipe 52. The fact that the portions of the cross winds moving along the lower parts of the horizontal passages have to travel through the portions of the winds travelling through the upper parts of said passages maintains the degree of suction in pipe 52 substantially the same regardless of the velocity of the winds. I

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A vent device comprising a vertical casing forming a vertical passage, a casing connected to said vertical casing and forming a horizontal passage extending across the lower end of the vertical passage and in communication therewith, said horizontal passage being open at both ends thereof, said vertical casing having an opening in a side wallthereof above the horizontal passage, a pipe having a lower end and an upper end openinginto said'casing opening, and a deflector in the horizontal passage adapted to direct some of the air travelling in either direction through said passage upwardly in the vertical passage past the opening of the casing.

2-. A vent device as claimed in claiml including a baflleinclined downwardly towards said deflector on said upper casing side wall within the upper casing immediately above the opening therein.

3. A vent device as claimed in claim 1 in which said deflector comprises a batfle plate across substantially the lower half of the horizontal passage and in the form of an inverted V with inclined surfaces extending downwardly and outwardly towards the open ends of said horizontal passage, and the apex of the V is beneath the upper casing opening.

4. A vent device comprising a vertical pipe, an openended horizontal pipe secured to and extending across the vertical pipe and in communication with the latter, said vertical pipe having an opening in the .wall thereof above the horizontal pipe, a support pipe having an open lower end and an upper end opening into the vertical pipe opening, and a deflector extending across substantially the lower part of the horizontal pipe adapted to direct some of the air travelling in either direction through said horizontal pipe upwardly in the vertical pipe past the opening thereof.

5. A vent device as claimed .in claim 4 including a baflie inclined downwardly towards said deflector on said vertical pipe wall within said pipe immediately above the opening therein.

6. A vent device comprising a verticalpipe closed at its upper end and open at its lower end, said pipe having openings in each of opposite walls thereof near said upper end, casings mounted on said opposite walls each having an open top and bottom, side and end walls, one side wall of each casing having an opening therein near the top thereof in communication with the opening in the adjacent pipe wall, and the end walls of each casing having opposed openings therein near their respective casing bottom walls to form horizontal passages through the casings at the bottoms thereof, a deflector in and extending across the lower part of the horizontal passage of each casing adapted to direct some of the air travelling in either direction through said passage upwardly in the casing past the opening thereof. a

7. A vent device as claimed in claim 6 including a baflle inclined downwardly in each casing towards the deflector therein immediately above the side wall opening of said casing.

8. A vent device as claimed in claim 6 including a V- shaped baflle mounted in the vertical pipe overlapping and facing the openings in the opposite walls of said pipe.

References Cited by the Examiner ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VENT DEVICE COMPRISING A VERTICAL CASING FORMING A VERTICAL PASSAGE, CASING CONNECTED TO SAID VERTICAL CASING AND FORMING A HORIZONTAL PASSAGE EXTENDING ACROSS THE LOWER END OF THE VERTICAL PASSAGE AND IN COMMUNICATION THEREWITH, SAID HORIZONTAL PASSAGE BEING OPEN AT BOTH ENDS THEREOF, SAID VERTICAL CASING HAVING AN OPENING IN A SIDE WALL THEREOF ABOVE THE HORIZONTAL 